Exciting News!!

Yesterday I hinted that I had some exciting news, well now I can share!

As you know if you follow me regularly, I am on the Design Team for the Crafty Boots Challenge blog and a while ago, Stephanie-Emma, owner & lovely lady, of the Crafty Boots shop & said challenge blog asked me if I would join her and some others on a small DT that would be product-specific for the shop and, of course, I said Yes!

Our DT will work with specific product lines. You will see if you pop by the Shop that Crafty Boots stocks many ranges of stamps including SOME ODD GIRL and, very soon, stamps from the Saturated Canary range!!!!

I'm always colouring as you know, so to be asked to work closely with some of my favourite characters and stamp ranges makes me a very happy Zoe. And it gives me even more of an excuse to keep colouring!

I'm looking forward to sharing my creations with you all, you can expect to see these characters popping up in my Smash books & I will use them to enhance digital pages too as well as on cards & tags. Because all types of crafts can be combined so it's fun to mix it all up a bit!

Right now you know, so I'd love it if you could follow the BLOG and, perhaps, let us know what you think of our creations, or maybe you'd like to see how to use certain stamp sets?  I'm sure if you leave a comment one of us will have a go at answering your questions! 

Keep popping by the shop and the shop's blog  to find out about special offers and to see all of the DT ladies work. We will be posting different projects & creations every week starting w/c 7th Jan which will hopefully inspire you all! 

I'm really looking forward to 2013, I've a few other 'projects' I want to attempt/achieve and will tell you more about them as the year goes by, so I hope you'll keeping reading my posts!

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 187

Happy New Year everyone!

I was determined to join in with this WOYWW as it's the first of the year! Pop over to The Queen of desks - Julia's to see what it's all about and to join in if you feel you want to bare all!

Okay my desk - 

You can see the super yummy Pretty Pocket large Purple Smash folio, which I was given for Christmas by my parents. It's much larger than normal Smash Books and as the name suggests it has pockets already bound into the book. I chose these 2 pages and the central pocket to 'Smash' photos and keepsakes from Christmas 2012.  One of my resolutions for 2013 is to make a real effort to do more with my photos and to journal more. I want to create a set of books/albums/Smash books that share who I am past & present so that in the future we can look back and remember. Plus Keagan will have some 'real history' to hopefully share with his children and grandchildren in years to come.  I guess we all do that in our own ways, but I've really struggled to do this in 2012 so I plan to catch up!

Other than that, there's the usual suspects on the desk & in the window are some bits and bobs I've been playing with and you can just about see the piles of stamps that need cutting out!

Over the next few days I shall visit those of you I follow and then a random selection of the rest of you, sorry I can't visit more, but who know's how many I'll get to this week. I can only do my best! Ha ha.

Hope you'll all continue to support me in 2013 like you did in 2012, there's a some exciting things going on but I can't tell you yet! You'll have to pop by now and again to find out more! 

Take care Zo xx

Looking backwards & forwards

Well here we are, the last day of the year and what a year it was!

I know I wasn't going to post, but seeing everyone looking back over their memories I thought I'd jump on board & share some of mine too!

Health-wise it was rubbish - I'm a lot worse now than I was this time last year, and I've had to accept changes and adapt even more than before. I've had to buy the blue wheels which I now use when necessary. But on a positive note - I now know so much more about my conditions and how they effect my body and am lucky enough to have a specialist hospital nearby who have supported me so much.

But this isn't about that, this is about my memories so let's take a look - 

Okay those of you with any knowledge of shoe fashion will notice those gorgeous red soles, oh yes, Louboutins! Though I confess not mine, but as the owner wears the same size as me I had to try them on, but I stayed sat down the whole time. I mean, me walk in those heels.........never going to happen!

Costa breakfast - over the last few months of going in to hospital me and my mum have enjoyed many of these.

The view from my seat at The Memorial Stadium, Bristol Rovers. Can't beat an evening game, something magical about those lights.

Saturday at The Mem - crisp cold afternoon, blue sky, though I confess there's been little to cheer football wise!

I love this picture and only wish I could have had a go!

A very happy day took place in October meeting up with fellow WOYWW crafter's. We had such fun and it was so lovely to meet many lovely ladies in person.

 Then in November myself & my good friend Debs went up to Milton Keynes to meet up with my fellow Crafty Boots Design Team, we had a fun, fab and crafty time.

A highlight of that weekend was visiting the very lovely and talented Gabrielle and visiting her studio! Wow, I loved it here we are together in the studio!

On a personal note, seeing my boy grow into a young man who now towers over me and become a kind and caring person has filled me with so much pride. Seeing him enjoy his horse riding, doing so well at school & choosing his GCSE subjects (scary stuff!) and for us both to enjoy so many football trips together.

And enjoy a few puddings too!

So what will 2013 bring? Who knows, but it'll be fun finding out I'm sure!

Whatever you are doing at Midnight, enjoy it but take care. Me..... I shall be tucked up in bed long before the bongs of  Big Ben so I'll bid you a Happy New Year now!

Take care Zo xx

Just catching up...

Hello everyone - hope you all had a super Christmas!

I've been rather quiet I know, having to rest up, but it was worth as we had a fab Christmas. So I thought I'd share some pics with you all.

My beautiful Christmas flowers.

Keagan trying to work out how to play his new game!

My mum sorting the aftermath of lunch.

Me and my boy taken Christmas evening.  Our friend's were down from Yorkshire so we went to their parent's house for the evening to catch up with everyone. 

We tend to have quiet festivities compared to some, and that'll continue for New Year, we'll be in bed long before midnight!

I don't expect I'll post again till next year now!!! I love saying that, so childish really but funny! 

Take care everyone and enjoy whatever you are doing over the next few days.

Zo xx

LADS tags only

Good Morning, how are we?

I confess I am just a little excited about the visit of the big red man tonight! Eeek, I'm sure I've been a good girl (what do you reckon?) so hoping for a few presents, wonder if there will be any crafty stash type presents....

Anyway I'm here today to share with you my DT project for the latest challenge over at Crafty Boots Challenge Blog, the theme is LADS TAGS ONLY.

SO we want to see tags, obviously, and they must be for the boys, no girls allowed. Looking forward to seeing your creations.

Here's my tag - 

I'll be honest, I had no plan, I just played! I started by covering the tag with London Blue Dylusions ink, then laying down the brick mask and spraying Melted Chocolate Dylusions ink through. I dried it all and then got to work with stamps, randomly choosing different stamps from Wendy Vecchi and Dylusions.

This bottle was a stamp I had as part of a kit, I covered it with Picket Fence distress stain then once dry, I applied Crackle Paint over the top and dried it. Then I rubbed Chocolate pearl paint over it with my finger working it into the crackles before rubbing off the excess. I added brads and the label.

All over the tag I got to work with a white pen, randomly picking out details.  The chain is a leftover bit from a necklace I think and I thought I'd add it to this tag.

At the end I looked at the tag and realised I think my message is enjoy life, and perhaps take on board inspiration and bottle it up for another day! 

Hope you like it. Now I'm off to clock watch and no doubt I will go to bed really early as I'll be up before Keagan tomorrow insisting he gets up so we can go open presents! Yes I'm the biggest kid in this house.

Take care Zo xx

No desk but thought I'd share some of the cards I've made for Christmas

Hello everyone.

As I've given out all my cards now I thought I'd just share a few of the ones I made. I confess I didn't make all of my cards this year.  My health has made making over 100 cards too difficult, so only special people got cards made by me!!

Here's a few - 

I made many cards with similar design of these stamped bauble cards, in lots of colours too. The character cards are from the Hunkydory and Kanban Christmas blockbuster kits. 

Right I'm going to pop by a few of your blogs and see what you've been up to.

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 184 - Oddies

Good Afternoon everyone!

Phew running a bit late with my desk today but I've been catching up on different things & easing myself into the day after falling getting into the shower earlier! 

I'm okay! Bit sore but nothing a spot of rest and a good old lie down won't cure I'm sure, well till tomorrow when I expect to be rather stiff and sore!

Right the desk -

It's all about Some Odd Girls, I've been colouring lately and generally playing with the stamps, I even made the hanging, you can see there on the desk, which you can see in full detail on the Crafty Boots site.

I love colouring these images, they are great fun & appeal to my style!

I've been trying to colour paler images as I tend to go for the bold and bright so on the pile of images already coloured is a paler looking Kaylee!

Right pop over the Julia's to check in for this week's desk hop that is a worldwide weekly wander of wonderful workspaces! (See that there alliteration!!!)

Lastly a huge thank you to everyone who popped by mine last week despite the fact I never got to anyone's desk :( sitting at the pooter is a trying task of late, one that means a full on lie-down after posting just this, not helped by that shower slip earlier!. But I have to grit my teeth and type this post to the end.....cos... well... it . just . has. to. be . done!!!!!

Take care Zo xx